Duca on Celtics: Reloaded and ready

Some teams rebuild. Others revamp. And then there are the NBA’s elite franchises, who reload. Welcome to the season of reloading.

ROB DUCA

Some teams rebuild. Others revamp. And then there are the NBA’s elite franchises, who reload.

Welcome to the season of reloading.

The 2009-10 campaign opens tonight in Cleveland with a nationally televised marquee matchup featuring the Celtics and the Cavaliers.

Kevin Garnett is back and healthy after missing last spring’s playoffs with a right knee injury. LeBron James is in the final year of his contract and will begin what most expect is a season-long swan song before presumably bolting Cleveland for even more fame and even more fortune (difficult as it may be to imagine) in New York.

But in many ways, the story of this NBA season is about the new faces who have joined forces with the league’s established power brokers. The best have only gotten better.

The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers now have the temperamental, yet talented, Ron Artest in purple and gold.

The Cavaliers have added Shaquille O’Neal and Anthony Parker.

The Orlando Magic, the team that eliminated both the Celtics and the Cavaliers en route to last year’s finals, picked up Vince Carter.

Of course, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge did not sit pat and watch his competition improve. After his team won 62 games last season – only to be decimated by Garnett’s injury – they are back with a vengeance, and with Rasheed Wallace coming off the bench.

It is quite likely the 2010 champions will be one of those four teams, although the San Antonio Spurs should never be entirely discounted.

At least one major publication – Sports Illustrated – believes it will be the Celtics, picking them to defeat the Lakers in the finals.

“I like our team. I like where we’re at right now,” coach Doc Rivers said last week. “We’re going to be a better team later than we are now. I guarantee you that. But we’re ready to play NBA basketball, and we’re ready to start the season.”

No team wields a stronger starting five than the Celtics, and with Wallace, newcomer Marquis Daniels, Glen Davis and Eddie House coming off the bench, the backups aren’t bad, either.

But the Celtics are also long in the tooth. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Garnett and Wallace are all north of 32, and each has at least 11 years of wear and tear on their bodies from the nightly grind of playing NBA basketball. Clearly, their window of opportunity at a second title is closing, and with Allen in the final year of his contract, this could be the farewell for the Big Three.

When healthy last year, the Celtics were the NBA’s best team. They won 19 straight games and were 41-9 when Garnett went down. With KG gone for the playoffs, they somehow managed to stretch the Magic to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

It was a remarkable achievement considering their reliance on Garnett for leadership, defense and passion. They were a different team with their fiery forward on the sidelines. But Pierce and Allen made certain they remained a competitive group.

They’ll be better and deeper this season, and even more formidable than the 2007-08 edition that hung banner No. 17.

Let us count the ways:

Wallace will provide low-post defense, outside shooting and veteran experience off the bench. Daniels can play point guard and give Pierce a breather on defense.

With Garnett missing, last year’s postseason heralded the multifaceted talents of Rajon Rondo. The lightning-quick guard posted spectacular numbers and opened eyes across the country. He scored. He rebounded. He dished off. He played tough defense. He registered triple-doubles.

Rondo became as important a figure as any player on the team. If he could develop consistency and an outside shot, we’d be talking about a future Hall of Famer.

Unfortunately, there remains an immaturity and arrogance about the 23-year-old that led to repeated trade rumors during the summer. Rondo shrugged off the talk in training camp.

“I want to be wherever I’m wanted the next 10 years,” he said. “If Danny wants me, I’ll be here the next 10 years.”

Rivers is an adept communicator who knows how to motivate players and massage egos. On a team stacked with veteran leaders, the Celtics won’t have any issues with Rondo.

Davis also stepped up in Garnett’s absence last spring, although Wallace’s arrival will limit his minutes this year.

And Kendrick Perkins blossomed into a legitimate starting center, with a respectable offensive game to go along with solid defense and rebounding.

You might not see it immediately, but the blend could be magical come June.

“A lot of the jobs for guys are new, even some of the guys who have been here, and it’s going to take them time to understand it completely,” Rivers said. “And that’s what we mean by ‘We’ll be better as the year goes on.’ ”

If they are, banner No. 18 might not be far behind.

Staff writer Rob Duca can be reached at 508-862-1177 or rduca@capecodonline.com.